Conference programme

In this session we explore how the courts intervene in arbitral hearings and awards across various jurisdictions and judicial systems and cultures. The courts in some of these jurisdictions profess minimal intervention – is that a good idea? What are the benefits associated with judicial restraint? What are the appropriate avenues for challenging arbitrations, and how do these vary across the different jurisdictions?

The responsibility of supply chains and value chains is an emerging trend in Europe, the US and other parts of the world. Human rights violations by agents in a certain supply or value chain are one of the most common issues when we look at the current ongoing cases in Europe and US. The goal of this panel will be to discuss the current state of affairs on the topic and also to try to anticipate what the next challenges to deal with will be in the coming years.

This session will provide an overview of the current trends and developments of emerging risks. What are the latest developments in the field of cyber risk? Is insurtech addressing new or emerging risks, or is it focusing on established risks? Is there a market for mass shooting insurance? These and other new or developing areas of insurable risk will be analysed by lawyers in private practice and industry representatives.

The panel will analyse the interesting and increasingly usual interplay between public inquiries and criminal investigations.

Real estate costs are often the second most important (after salaries) for law firms. Getting real estate right has been a challenge for many law firms for many years, but post-Covid-19 it is much harder. With some firms still not fully back in the office and expecting they never will be, how does that translate into how much office space you provide? Will there be offices for everyone, whether or not they come in, or we are ‘embracing’ open plan and hoteling? Many law firms have put off the decision whilst we stabilise post-Covid-19, sadly that is not working out and decisions need to be made. This session will help you make those decisions.

The concluding session about supply chain challenges of the 2020s from Covid-19 to trade Wars to actual wars. 

The increasing de-globalisation of international commerce has been accelerated due to a number of factors, including the ongoing trade wars and the invasion of Ukraine. The disruption of global supply chains – arising from factors such as the shortage of raw materials and commodities, and also due to trade barriers and restrictions to the movement of people – has caused inflation and has impacted global businesses. Re-shoring, nearshoring and friend shoring strategies have helped businesses to increase supply chain resilience and optimise processes of manufacturing and distribution along the supply chain. Specific consideration will be given to industries more impacted by these important trends and the possible solutions will be discussed by our expert panel. 

One such solution is the impact of new technology, such as generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology. In the next few years, the potential of generative AI could boost the operating profits of many industries, including the apparel, fashion and luxury sectors, as well as global manufacturers. The deep-learning models are developed on vast, unstructured data sets that applications can use to handle numerous complex tasks.

The ‘chat’ function of these generative AI tools can help, for instance, a biotech company ask questions that help it with demand forecasting. By doing so, the company can run ‘what-if’ scenarios on getting specific chemicals for the products or for what might happen if certain global shocks or other events occur that change or disrupt daily operations.

Risk management may be the most promising area, particularly in preparing for risks that supply chain planners haven’t considered.

Incorporating generative AI into companies’ supply chain forecasting, production planning and risk management will result in optimisation of the production systems.

Our panel will examine the legal challenges arising, and share their views on how generative AI can possibly resolve or mitigate the supply chain challenges of the early 2020s disruptors.

The IBA Bar Issues Commission (BIC) is participating in the presidential initiative to address artificial intelligence and, in particular, the BIC is focusing on guidance for bar associations in advising their members. This panel will discuss core issues relating to artificial intelligence (AI) and invite a roundtable discussion.

Update on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), domestic authorities guidelines, court rulings and cases on eligibility of benefits under double tax treaties.

Joint session of the IBA Regional Fora Committees, focusing on climate, social responsibility and environmental, social and governance (ESG).

The panel will address key considerations and processes of equitisation of unsecured debt as a balance sheet repair tool in financial restructurings.

This session will navigate through the following issues:

•    Available protections for lenders and shareholders;
•    regulatory constraints;
•    directors duties;
•    orderly sales of equitised debt on the markets;
•    disclosure issues;
•    implementation risks; 
•    And conflicts in domestic and cross border constellations.
 

This panel, hosted by the IBA Anti-Corruption Committee, will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and data analysis are changing internal investigations. Practitioners from around the world will dive into the challenges in-house and external investigators face in this evolving landscape. The panel will also explore key trends and insights into how technology can facilitate the fact-finding process. Join us as we investigate the intersections of AI, compliance and internal investigations, and discover how embracing technological innovation can drive greater efficiency, transparency and accountability.

Traditional knowledge, cultural expression, genetic resources and the intersection with intellectual property (IP). This panel will look at copyright protection, patents, trademarks, ownership issues and acknowledgement. A broad range of IP rights relevant when looking to acknowledge and protect the centuries old cultural heritage of indigenous people and whether a sui generis system is the way forward.

Increased interoperability, data sharing and digital innovation seem to offer the answers to address not only crucial needs in healthcare – such as data consistency, operational efficiency, evidence-based practices, continuity of care and better population health management – but also to allow content and asset portability in other systems and platforms, such as metaverse, banking and other regulated sectors. But there are significant challenges that should be addressed through legal frameworks, regulatory flexibility and incentivising innovation.

This panel will address: the definition and types of interoperability, data sharing and digital innovation and how they enable different systems to communicate, exchange and use data in a coordinated and meaningful way; the benefits of interoperability, data sharing and digital innovation for various stakeholders, enhancing efficiency and productivity, and facilitating data-driven decision making; the challenges and barriers to achieving these objectives, such as technical, semantic, organisational, legal, ethical, regulatory, privacy, intellectual property (IP) and cultural issues; the current state and future trends of interoperability, such as the adoption of standards, frameworks and policies, the emergence of new technologies and platforms (including artificial intelligence); and the role of innovation and collaboration. 
 

Employers of record (EORs) have been touted as a new solution for employers with a distributed workforce, reducing the bureaucratic hurdles of establishing local entities, reducing employment rights and tax burdens. This session will examine the legal issues including whether these structures are recognised in local employment laws, whether they can be used to sponsor employment-based visas and whether supposed tax and social security advantages are in fact real.

This session will first delve into the question of how human rights activities can obtain sufficient resources to maintain prolonged litigation in a world of finite resources. The session will then turn to consider the very real physical and psychological costs of acting in such cases (given traumatic subject matter), risks to security and limited prospects of implementation.

Join us for round table discussions on hot topics in real estate, including use of artificial intelligence (ChatGPT and similar tools), future of office spaces, real estate trends in the leisure industry, efficiency of buildings, affordable living and other trending topics.

This is a situation the clients want to avoid but where Insolvency and Restructuring lawyers meet practitioners in the Closely Held businesses. A session supported by the Closely Held Companies Committee.